Boil the mutton and onions together with half amount of Clove, Badi Elaichi and Tej Patta. Make a paste of the boiled onions along with boiled masalas. Grind the garlic and chillies together. Dry roast all dry masalas except dry mint, methi daana and sookha dhania (both forms). Grind the roasted masalas into a coarse powder. Now in a bowl add the mutton, curd, onion paste, roasted masalas and ginger-garlic-chilly paste. Add salt. The mutton pieces should be completely coated in the paste. Cover the bowl with cling film / foil and refrigerate for minimum ½ hour.

In a pan heat oil. Add methi dana. When the methi daana starts to crackle add the coated mutton pieces along with the paste/mix. Let it cook for 5 minutes, now add the sookha dhania in both forms. Simmer the flame and let it cook, till it starts leaving oil. (Keep turning the mix to avoid burning). Add dry mint and mint paste. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes. The minty mutton masala is ready.

The dish can be enjoyed as a starter or with roomali rotis along with buraani raita.

This dish is dry in nature. No water is to be added. The minty flavour is subtle and not very strong. In case one is not fond of the minty flavour just remove the mint part from the recipe. Another variation is to add lemon juice at the end.

The water in which the mutton has been boiled can be used in other dishes or just to cook flavoured rice (it’s a flavourful stock).